Figma comes to art.edu

❀ how it started

The school had no Figma presence. So I designed it.

I heard about Figma in summer 2023, registered for Config virtually, and fell for everything Figma stood for. A 15-week Memorisely bootcamp by Zander Whitehurst (a founding member of Figma’s education advisory board) taught me UI from scratch and built the foundation for everything that came after.

In fall 2024 I enrolled in a master’s in Interaction Design at art.edu +and started a weekly UI club called Figma Fridays, a virtual hangout for students who wanted to practice their Figma skills.

Summer 2025, I was selected in the first wave of campus leaders for the 2025–2026 cohort, chosen from thousands of applicants across the US and Canada. This secured Academy of Art University’s first official partnership with Figma.

I worked cross-functionally with the Figma Education team on rollout and in-person events. To keep the program sustainable, I advocated for two additional campus leaders midway through the year so a student-led design community would continue after graduation.

✦ art.edu = Academy of Art University. Yes, the school owns the actual domain. Very OG.

budget managed

$2K

students reached

180+

events

5

team grew mid‑year

+2 CLs

1. Summer 2023
   Config 2023 · virtual

   Watched my first Config.

   The talks made me want to learn that tool.

2. Fall 2023
   Memorisely · bootcamp

   15-week product design bootcamp.

   Built on Zander Whitehurst’s curriculum.

3. Fall 2024
   art.edu · grad program

   Started my master’s in Interaction Design.

   Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

4. Spring 2025
   Figma Fridays

   Started a virtual UI club at art.edu.

   Each week had a different theme. Open to any students who wanted to practice UI.

5. Aug 2025
   Figma CL · accepted

   First wave of campus leaders for 2025–26.

   Academy of Art University’s first official Figma partnership.

6. May 2026
   Graduation

   Master’s in Interaction & UI/UX Design.

   From art.edu.

7. Jun 2026
   Config 2026 · in-person

   Config again.

   Reach out if you’re going.